Before final cuts, one NFL insider confirmed that the Cincinnati Bengals and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase were still working on a contract extension despite the approach of Week 1.
And now we’ve got more confirmation of the ongoing talks.
The latest comes from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who says the fresh CeeDee Lamb deal in Dallas makes it easier for the Bengals and Chase to get something done.
“The Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase’s agent are still negotiating, still trying to work out a long-term deal. As Mike Brown has said, it’s a challenge,” Rapoport said, “mostly because it’s early and the expenditure for the Bengals would be massive. But it is still possible. They’re working and the landscape of the receiver deals got much more clearly defined with this CeeDee Lamb deal. You can’t argue that Justin Jefferson’s…was an anomaly…Chase is going to want to come in at or above his good friend Justin Jefferson.”
The thing about this small update is, one, the cost was always going to be massive for the Bengals either way. And two, Chase and his reps were always going to want to come in at or just above Jefferson’s number.
What’s interesting now is whether the Bengals and/or Chase’s reps wait to see what happens in San Francisco with Brandon Aiyuk, as he might be the last big domino on the market.
Since Chase is already back practicing, as expected, there’s no threat to the regular season here. Since he has two years left on his rookie deal, things could merely be delayed until next summer, as originally anticipated.
But the fact the two sides are at least talking is encouraging, as massive deals for names like A.J. Green and Joe Burrow have come together just before the season in prior years for the team.
From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: The CeeDee Lamb new contract helps the case for #Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase… pic.twitter.com/qWHoGyiMew
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 26, 2024
